Lucky Green Healthy Snack

In honor of the little leprechauns that will come around on St. Patrick’s Day, I’ve planned green afternoon snacks for the week. And, to my little boys, what could be a yummier snack than a green SPINACH smoothie?? Yup, I’m serious!

See, a little while back Liam went to a Healthy Kids cooking class that my friend Beth taught. (By the way, Beth is THE healthiest Mom I know—I’m pretty sure every meal she creates is a Supermom Moment.) Anyway, so Liam came home from her class with cute worksheets and recipes—and a newfound love of spinach. Since I add spinach to quite a few food items around here (by the way, spinach scrambled eggs are totally yummers), I didn’t think too much of his resulting spinach infatuation UNTIL we’re months later and he’s still asking for spinach—especially spinach smoothies.

So, when thinking of a green snacks for the week, I immediately thought of Beth and her signature healthy GREEN smoothies. As much fun as green jello shapes and mint icecream shakes are, if we can get our kids (or ourselves) to drink healthy, nutrient-filled SPINACH or KALE smoothies, we’ll all be better off, right? To check out Beth’s Kale Smoothie Recipe, click here.

So, let’s get to my go-to recipe already, right?

Lucky Green Smoothies

:: 2 cups fresh spinach
:: ¾ cup frozen pineapple
:: 2-3 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut
:: 1 banana
:: ½ cup milk of choice (we like light coconut milk)
:: ¾ cup Greek yogurt

I layer everything in the blender and puree until well mixed. It’s pure deliciousness and a *POW* of a Supermom Moment (if I do say so myself)!

If the concept of green smoothies is new to you, here are a few helpful hints: First, I promise they taste delicious. I know they’re green which can be awkward—but with it being St. Patrick’s Day, just consider it part of the holiday experience, and you’ll fall in love. Trust me, and just try it! If you simply can’t get past the color, add some berries — that’ll hide the green (yet also make it much less Leprechauny and festive — which is almost the same thing as BORING for the week of St. P Day). Rather than buying fresh pineapple and going through the hassle of slicing it, I buy frozen pineapple tidbits (as well as other fruit intended for smoothies) in the freezer section. I always read the package to make sure no other ingredients (such as sugar) have been added. I store our coconut in the freezer — keeps it fresh and ready for green smoothies. We use non-fat Greek yogurt, which I find in the normal yogurt section.